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. 2022 Oct;61(5):4205-4225.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-022-01611-8. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Coping, Meaning Making and Resilience Within the Dutch Reformed Pietist Community During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Tobias Cinjee  1   2 , Hanneke Schaap-Jonker  3   4
Affiliations

Coping, Meaning Making and Resilience Within the Dutch Reformed Pietist Community During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Tobias Cinjee et al. J Relig Health. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

In this qualitative study, we examined how community members of the Dutch reformed pietist community coped with the COVID-19 pandemic, and which religious sources of meaning making and resilience they used during this time of crisis. Based on seven in-depth interviews, we found that the representation of God being 'above all things' was prominent in times of close encounter with the coronavirus. In actively interpreting the pandemic, community members tended to stay away from concrete eschatological or ecological interpretations. Rather, the general theme of 'malleability' was used and linked to notions of calling and punishment. Furthermore, we identified the importance of community and scepticism towards the government as sources of resilience, whereas thinking about the future of the church was a source of fear and concern.

Keywords: COVID-19; Meaning making; Religious coping; Resilience; The Netherlands.

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Conflict of interest statement

Not applicable.

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